Here is a short film about one of my favorite cameramen of all time, Gianni DiVenanzo. I encourage everyone to seek out the films he shot and enjoy them. Such a brilliant filmmaker, a unique talent. He died young, only 45 years old. Vittorio Storaro tells the story. Here’s a link to a great site dedicated to him.
http://www.celtoslavica.de/chiaroscuro/dop/venanzo/venanzo.html
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Here is a German film of an Edgar Wallace mystery. Creature With The Blue Hand, starring everybody’s favorite psycho Klaus Kinski as twins no less! Double your pleasure, double your fun! There were a lot of Edgar Wallce films made in Germany. This one I was turned onto by Quentin Tarantino, he programmed it as part of a personally curated batch of films that aired on Spike Tv about 10 years ago. Anyway it’s a nice clean version in German mit subtitles so Enjoy!
Here is the Beat Film to end all Beat Films, written and narrated by Kerouac, directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie. It gives you a view into the Art Life of 50s NYC. I lived there in the late 70’s. It was pretty similar. I remember being at Guffanti Film Lab and seeing this film, they were making a print for Marty Scorsese. I think this film was a big influence on him. This version has Italian subtitles so you can practice your Italiano.
Here is a cool BBC doc on Clint Eastwood from back in 1977. He was the biggest star in the world at that time thanks to the Westerns of Sergio Leone. It’s full of fascinating characters, Paulene Kael basically saying she does not like Clint as an actor or director, the great editor Ferris Webster, the great editor turned director Don Siegal, Sergio Leone, Richard Burton. This is an amazing document. Check it out.
Andy Warhol had his own take on Cinema. He bought an Auricon 16mm camera that recorded sound on film and began making films at The Factory, his NYC Studio. It is fascinating to watch these cinema portraits of his circle of friends, especially if you can see them projecyed on a big screen. You get where his terms Superstars comes from. I saw a bunch of them down at LACMA during a big Warhol retrospective a few years back. If you get a chance to see them like that don’t miss it. Travel back to mid Sixties NYC and hang out at The Factory with The Beautiful People.
The Maestro of Cinema Music has checked out of the Hotl Earth. He’s listening to the Music Of The Spheres from his Moon Base. Hobnobbing with Bernard Herrmann and Miklos Roza. The world has lost one of it’s greatest Cinematographic/Musical Treasures. A double blow to the sensitive beings on this spinning rock. Bless you Ennio for all the pleasure you gave people in the dark.
Serious Ennio, With Sergio Leone
Here is a great animated film by Harry Smith. I knew him and used to visit him at The Chelsea Hotel on W.23rd street in NYC. Anyway check it out.
Here is an examination of the creative force of Federico Fellini illustrated with clips from his films, documentary footage, an interview and some amazing newsreel footage that influenced some of his master works.
Get Intoxicated on the Mad Genius of Busby Berkeley! Beautiful women, great dancing, geometric choreography, Dutch camera angles, overhead shots! All created in a 1930’s Hollywood Dream Factory! I heard he lived near me for a while after a car accident. I believe his mother lived in Echo Park. Anyway Enjoy!
Here’s a newsreel about the great Polish actor, Zbignew Cybulski. Hailed as the Polish Jame Dean his career and life were tragically cut short as he leaped to catch a departing train. ( something I hear he often did) Ironically there is footage of him jumping from a moving train in this piece. I always though he was super cool with his black leather and shades photographed in B&W like the coolest movie icons. Check it out. It’s in Polish with no subtitles but here’s a great reason to learn to speak Polish!
Prepare to have your mind blown. This footage is so incredible, it’s like going into a dream. Amazing. Shot on film, restored by a German Archive. Check it out.
Here is a great BBC produced series about the early days of the Movie Business and how it wound up in Hollywood USA. Great interviews with the real Silent Movie people done back in the late 60’s I’d guess. Narrated by the great James Mason who in real life bought Buster Keaton’s old house and lived there for a while. Anyway it’s a great series chock full of amazing information and fascinating characters. Check it out!